The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1887-12-14
REPORT on

The First Annual Report of the Inter-
state Commissioned Very Interesting
History of the Railroads of tho County.
The first annual report of the Inter-
State Commerce Commission has Just
been made public. 1t fills 40 q OF
closely printed matter, in which the
work OF the Commission since its origin,
the effects Of the new law upon trade
and tranSp0.~ tation, and the faults and
defects are treated exclusively. The
report opens with a very interesting his
tory of roods in the United States. The
railroad mileage of the United States, it
is shown, is 1877, $50. The number of
corporations represented in this mileage
is l,425, but by the consolidation or
leasing of roads, the number of corpora
tons controlling and operating roads as
carriers i reduced to 700. 1t is believed
that 200 roads operated by about five
hundred corporations as carriers are
subject to the law. The Commission
has as yet no statistics of its own collec-
ton to lay before the public, but quoted
from a manual generally accepted as re-
reliable, the cost of construction and
equipment of these roads which places
it at $7,25l, 1876, 223, and estimates the
funded debt of the companies at So, 802,-
&c., Some idea, the Commission
say OF the magnitude of the interest
which the Act undertaken to regulate
may be obtained from these figures, but
they fall short of measuring, or even
OF indicating its importance. Comment
ing on the evils that have grown out of
and abuses that have grown up with the
extension OF railroads they say: 1t is
striking proof of the recklessness of cor
poratc management, that 108 roads rep
resenting q mileage of IL ,066 are now In
the hands of receivers managing them
under direction of courts whose atten-
ton is thus necessarily withdrawn from
the moro appropriate ruling of judicial
bodies, nevertheless the Commission
feels justified in saying that the opera
ton Of the Act has in general been
efficient. In some particulars as we un-
derstand has also been the case with
similar statutes i'll some of the States it
has operated directly to increase rail-
road earnings, especially in the cutting
Oil OF free passes on passengers
trains and putting an end to rebates,
drawbacks n special rates upon freight
business. Freight traffic for the year
has been exceptionally large in volume
aud is believed to have been in no small
degree stimulated by q growing conf
dence that the days OF rebates and
special rates were ended and that open
rates on an equal basis were now offered
to all. The reflex action of this devel-
opment of confidence among business
men has been highly favorable to the
roads.
The tendency of rates has been down
ward, and they nave set down perma-
nent advances except when excessive
competition had reduced them to q
point at which they could not we'll be
maintained, no destructive rate would
have occurred, but increased stability in
rates has tended in the direction of
stability in general business. There is,
however, great mischief resulting from
from frequent changes in freight rates
on the part of some of the companies.
Changes that in some cases it is difficult
to suggest an excuse for. The report
closes with the following suggestions for
amendments to the new law: ''Incident-
ally III this report some need of amend
ment has been pointed out. Especially
ought the law, as we think, to Indicate
in plain terms whether the express bust
ness and all other transportation by the
carriers named in the Act Shall be gov
crnCd by its provisions. The provision
against the sudden rising of rates ought
to be clearly made applicable to joint
rates as well MS to others. The Commits
sion ought also to have the authority
and the means to bring about something
like uniformity i'll the method of pub
fishing rates which is now in great con-
fusion, and to carefully examine, collect
and supervise the schedules, contracts,
etc, required by the law to be filed, as
well as properly TO handle the mass of
statistical information called for by the
twentieth section. For all these pur-
poses, as well as for others improperly
provided for, u considerable addition to
the force employed with the Commission
will be Indispensable. Other matters,
and particularly whether transportation
by water shall be made subject to the
Act are submitted to the wisdom Of Con-
gross without recommendation"